Microsoft enhances AI in new Dynamics NAV 2018 ERP suite

After months of speculation about Microsoft’s intentions for its Dynamics ERP product, the software giant has released a new version of the suite that leverages artificial intelligence to automate repetitive tasks.

Dynamics NAV 2018, aimed squarely at small and midsized businesses, also offers improved interoperability with the entire Microsoft ecosystem, including Office 365.

“As businesses evolve, they need systems that grow with them, so they can stay agile, get a holistic view of their business data, and ultimately provide them with insights that can help them automate processes and operations,” writes James Phillips, Microsoft’s corporate vice president of engineering, in a blog post announcing the new software’s availability.

He notes that the latest version ships with Microsoft Excel report templates, including Trial Balance and Cash Flow statements, among many others. It also takes advantage of improvements to image recognition technology inherent in Microsoft Cognitive Services.

Before this release, analysts expressed bafflement over why Microsoft wasn’t doing more with its ERP product suite, often ranked as a top-tier offering alongside Oracle, Infor and SAP.

Cognitive Services provide APIs that focus on helping developers build AI into intelligent applications that can do everything from picking out objects in photos to automatically transcribing audio and detecting sentiment in video.

Phillips notes that the new release is native to the cloud, offering integration with Microsoft Flow that lets users automate tasks directly in the context of their Dynamics NAV experience.

“We believe that building on the strength of Dynamics NAV with this new cloud offering will offer Microsoft’s partner ecosystem great opportunity to continue providing innovative solutions to companies that require a comprehensive end-to-end business management solution,” Phillips said.

First unveiled in April 2016, Flow lets users be more hands-off with routine tasks done across multiple applications. By connecting to other Microsoft services and many third-party SaaS applications, Flow can finish tasks automatically that would otherwise require juggling data between several applications.

The move to Dynamics NAV 2018 also means that Microsoft now has managed to infuse artificial intelligence and analytics capabilities into its entire suite of business software and cloud offerings. The effort results in charts and reports generated by Power BI, Microsoft’s cloud-based business intelligence and analytics software.

Key Takeaways:

• Microsoft is pushing back against analyst speculation that its ERP software might not continue to be competitive.

• The new release enhances interoperability across the Microsoft ecosystem.

• By building in both artificial intelligence and task automation, Dynamics NAV 2018 eliminates some of the pain points inherent in adopting ERP.